so now that the incredibly long thread on triggering slices with midi notes has, somewhat amazingly, been resolved by the OS update I’m wondering what pad controllers people are turning to. i need to get one and would love to hear any thoughts 
it must…
I’m currently aware of the beatstep, launchpad and mpd2… what am i missing? what are you using? why did you choose it?
tia x
I don’t have mine anymore, but the Korg padKontrol is pretty good.
only USB midi though… right?
I just took delivery of Launchpad Pro Mkiii and have it hooked up to the Octa now - main reason for picking it up. I’ve not done a whole lot yet but I have one custom page giving me ‘faders’ for all tracks (the velocity sensitive nature of this is fantastic ie soft touch = slow fade) and a second custom page assigned to play 64 slots that I have organised into little 4 drum kits.
PadKontrol? Din midi in and out as well as usb and pedal input.
Linnstrument. Designed by Roger Linn who ‘invented’ things like swing and beat repeat (I might be wrong with later) on early MPCs. Has it’s own highly playable arpeggiator. Number of pads depends on which size you choose, 128 or 200. They are highly sensitive. If you remap velocity to amp vol with MIDI processor, you get a great expressive tool for trigering slices. In split mode you can get 8 touch MIDI faders. And many more features like one of the best MPE controllers with DIN MIDI I/O or USB you can get.
ahhh sorry - i was thinking nanokontrol. good looks!
definitely some great features on the launchpad… personally i think I’d prefer a few less pads and a few more tactile controls. it looks great though - thanks for sharing!
if you have any vids of it in action with the OT please feel free to share
the linnstrument certainly seems like a great control surface! but in my opinion, it doesn’t seem like a great pairing with the OT.
although the OS upgrade is a great improvement, the linnstrument spits out waaaay more data than i can imagine interpreting usefully in the OT.
if you have any vids of this pairing, pls share!
Yeah, it’s much better paired with synths. But it’s possible to selectively disable streams like Pitchbend, Pressure/Aftertouch and Y-axis (i.e. ModWheel). When routed through USB, you can explicitely reduce the bandwidth directly on LS without computer. Also, it’s quite an investment.
I’ll try to knock together some demo.
yeah i think should’ve added it should be fairly affordable also! let me edit that post
I play a Linnstrument but it seems like not the best match for an Octatrack.
You could get one of the older Livid Instruments controllers used for not much money. There’s an Alias 8 on Reverb right now for $200 that looks like a good Octatrack match - 16 pads, 16 push encoders and 9 faders, arranged in an 8 channel mixer layout. The Livid stuff is really well built and feels great.
EDIT: never mind that one specifically, it’s a USB-only model. But the smaller Livid stuff in general shows up on the affordable side (relatively - $150-$300) if you keep an eye out, and it seems like it’s kind of under the radar with people who make music, it’s more of a VJ thing I guess.
There’s a used Block (64 pads, 8 encoders, 2 faders and a few other buttons, with DIN MIDI) for $300 right now. That’s definitely pushing out of “relatively affordable” territory though.
that livid stuff looks great! always wondered about getting one of their pieces… have you used one? if so how are the pads?
i should also add… i live in vietnam where it’s illegal to import secondhand electronics 
sadly used may not be an option, unless it’s in the country
thanks for the reply though
Not much yet, it was on my radar because I recently got a really good deal on a Code 2 to pair with my Axoloti but I haven’t had time to dive in much. The pads are like a cross between 2000-era MPC pads and a Push. The encoders feel really solid, I haven’t taken the caps off to check but I think they’re probably metal shaft, which is unfortunately a luxury these days rather than standard. The actual Livid site is a bit of a mess, I can’t get the web editor to run in a browser and the downloadable editor is gone but if you plug the link into the Wayback machine they have it and it runs perfectly well (it’s a standalone Max/MSP patch). I’ve heard that the Ableton integration isn’t the best (that’s the reason I ended up with it, actually - previous owner is an Ableton user and moved to Push) but as a general purpose MIDI controller it seems really, really nice so far if you don’t mind the minimalist thing with all the controls looking the same. Everything is just really solid, and not that it really matters but even the finish on the wood ends is nicer than what I usually see on gear.
They started out USB-only and didn’t add DIN until the last decade or so, so if you consider an older one make sure to check for that.
EDIT: at least on the Code, the pads aren’t velocity sensitive (unless I missed something in the editor and wiki) if that matters for you.
I also didn’t catch that used electronics weren’t an option for you, that’s too bad.
Sounds like you already have the best suggestions (Launchpad Pro MK3, MPD series, Beatstep Pro…) and I don’t have much to add. The Launch Control XL provides incredible control over the track levels, plus effects sends, and whatever else your heart desires.
Yeah as @Claid said, you probably have a lot of the best options laid out above, especially if second-hand is off the table. That said, when researching the purchase I did give real consideration to a few other units: the Faderfox line (no pads here though), Arturia Beatstep Pro and the Akai MPD range too - maybe worth looking into too.